Nashville, TN…Grammy^®-winning country artist Kathy Mattea and the legendary bluegrass band, Hot Rize will co-host the 20th annual International Bluegrass Music Awards on Thursday, October 1, at 7:30 p.m. at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium….

Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park, Live Oak, Fla., — Oh, the enchanting smell of finger-licking good barbecue cooking on the grill! But the taste will be even better when the Florida BBQ Association (FBA) sanctioned Smoking’ On the Suwannee BBQ Festival cook-off kicks off this weekend, July 24-25, at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park….

Appalachian entertainer Randall Franks and the Georgia Mafia Bluegrass Band will be among those scheduled to perform on the 31st Annual Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards Show this September.

The Friends of Georgia Music Festival, Inc. hosts the event at the Georgia World Congress Center airing live on Georgia Public Television….

Let’s face it, Johnny Butten is not a household name in the greater American bluegrass family.

Never mind that he’s listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s fastest banjo player — or that he’s more than eye-popping on fiddle, guitar and mandolin — and he plays bass. And, that he’s performed with some notables, including Josh Graves, Kenny Baker, Bill Keith and Peter Rowan….

Nashville, Tenn., — The Country Music Hall of Fame^® and Museum will honor one of American music’s most gifted and beloved stars, Brenda Lee, in Brenda Lee: Dynamite, Presented by Great American Country Television Network, a biographical exhibit opening Friday, August 7, 2009, for a 10-month run in the Museum’s East Gallery. The exhibit will run through June 13, 2010….